


How to Serve a Bloodsucker

by Moophinz_isnt_here



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, And moments of dark humor, M/M, Some comedy too, check author's notes for more details if interested, horror/suspense, tags will updated when fic is updated, vampire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-04-29 11:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14471694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moophinz_isnt_here/pseuds/Moophinz_isnt_here
Summary: Lukas Bondevik and Berwald Oxenstierna led pretty average and unassuming lives, and that’s just the way they preferred things things to be, thank you very much. However, one desperate phone call from Lukas’ little brother tears their reality away from them and throws them into the dark, bottomless pits of a new life as the human servants of two unusual vampires.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have too many AUs. Someone write them all for me pls k thnx  
> Like the other AU I wrote a little bit of, starting from a completely random point, (it's this one: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13923168), this one will also share a similar fate due to time and stress constraints. However, with this fic, I'm actually writing it from the beginning, and I don't know when I'll be able to add more.

The train left the station with all its passengers on board— well, except for two late arrivals who watched the train leave from their spot at the end of the escalator. The shorter and slimmer of the two placed his hands over his face and groaned loudly. Lukas was having enough hell to suffer through; he didn’t need  _this_ on top of it all. The older man accompanying him only frowned and shook his head in defeat. 

Berwald looked down at Lukas. “We have no choice but to walk.”

”You haven’t been talking much all day, and when you do speak, it’s too announce the obvious.” Lukas rolled his eyes. “Let’s get going.”

\---

Lukas Bondevik and Berwald Oxenstierna had been planning their trip to Finland only two weeks in advance. It wasn't a vacation or for time to do anything leisurely. No, it was something of greater importance, and they were on a time crunch as to be expected when one isn't always blessed with the best of luck. Lukas' younger sibling had called and sounded as though he were in an emergency, telling him in between desperate mouthfuls of air about someone coming for him in a few months if he doesn't return something. There was added information about what city in Finland he was hiding out in, and other bits and pieces that Lukas couldn't make out clearly over his brother's pants and a cacophony of god-knows-what being slammed around. Despite the fact that whatever peril his little brother was in was as clear to Lukas as a cloudy sky, it didn't stop the frantic pounding of his heart, or the way his brain was hyper focused on the need to save his only sibling. Even though Emil was seventeen, Lukas couldn't help but to still see him as a baby while he was twenty-four, creating a seven year age gap. 

In a rush of words that escaped the Norwegian's mouth in one breath, Lukas explained what he knew of the situation to Berwald. He meant to be far more composed and collected, but he couldn't keep himself together long enough before the faltering and trembling began. Berwald listened to his roommate and cplleague with the same calculating, piercing stare he gave everything and everyone. After having to literally hold Lukas back from boarding the first plane he could find to Sirkka, Finland, Berwald had to calm him down in the best manner possible— which was easier said than done. It luckily didn't take Lukas long to simmer down and allow Berwald to help him come up with a plan of action. 

"Emil moved to Finland with our parents a year after I moved out.” Lukas caught Berwald up on details of his life that he never saw much of a reason to share until now. “ ~~~~I have no idea what could possibly be happening to make Emil act like this. Our parents should still be with him, but he didn’t say anything about mom and dad.”

Berwald considered the information. He had never seen Lukas act like this before. “Hm. Have your parents ever been involved with suspicious people?”

It was like being interviewed by the police. He knew these questions were only being asked so Berwald could get a better understanding, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was also wasting his precious time. “No. My parents would never get mixed up with anything that could harm them or us. They’re almost as quiet and to themselves as you are.”

Berwald could easily understand that. The Swede leaned across their shared kitchen table to try to get Lukas to look him in the eyes. Dark, deep blue eyes were far more interested in staring aimlessly out the window behind Berwald. Even with his outburst earlier, Lukas somehow managed to cool his expression into a way that didn’t reveal any obvious feelings. One could only wonder why he felt the need to do that. There were many days where Berwald would give up one piece of beloved furniture just to know what was really going on inside his mysterious mind.

"Emil?"

At that, Lukas' eyes darted towards the other man and narrowed. "Never. He's a good kid."

For a minute, neither party said anything more. Lukas pursed his lips and clasped his hands together, fingers intertwined. His right leg bounced anxiously. Waiting was sickening.

”We can’t just leave our jobs and Netherlands that easily.” Berwald spoke the truth quietly. 

Lukas hated the fact that he was right. “I know.” He replied in an even quieter voice that was barely above a whisper.

Even if all they did was simple and shitty office work, their boss would never accept them just walking out for who knows how long without a word of warning. Lukas’ ability to care about that was quickly depleting, however. 

“Wait.” Lukas looked at Berwald, confused. “What do you mean we?” He didn’t realize this entire time that Berwald was truly being included in whatever it was they were doing. “I can go save him on my own. He’s my brother after all.”

”Yes, but...” Berwald awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, “you came to me for help, and I want... to do that...”

Another wave of silence hit them. Lukas could only stare at Berwald with widened eyes, and his mouth hanging open slightly. 

Berwald tried fighting back the feeling of embarrassment creeping along his cheeks, dusting them a light pink color. Oh, how he loathed his inability to speak his feelings correctly. “If you don’t want me to...”

”No.” Lukas came back to his senses. “I... I don’t mind if you come along, but it’s only because I could probably take use of your strength...”

It was a bullshit excuse, but really, Lukas had decided that he really did need someone to come with him. He turned away from the older man and glanced back to see the tiniest hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. 

After that needless moment thankfully passed, the two of them moved on to the matter at hand. Talks continued on what they would tell their boss, when they would go to Finland, and what could possibly even be going on to cause Emil to panic for his life so much. Lukas hated not knowing anything about what was happening miles away from him, but he swore that he would know the facts in due time. No matter what he had to do. 

A message was sent to his brother, informing him that he would be coming as soon as possible, selectively leaving out the part where he didn’t care if he lost his job. Four days passed without a reply which was only more strange and worrying. Emil always had his phone in his face. So, what was the deal this time? Berwald had to keep Lukas from panicking too much and to not jump to any dangerous conclusions so quickly. 

It wasn’t until the middle of an exceedingly boring meeting that he finally received a text. It didn’t stave off any of his worries.

 **Emil:** Don’t come here in a hurry. You’ll only alert them to move faster

 **Lukas:** What are you talking about?? Who??

 **Emil:** You have to remain calm. Big brother I

Their short talk abruptly ended there. Emil clearly had more to say, but he never received another message. Several days went by with Lukas constantly checking his phone and sending a text daily. Everyday he hoped that his brother would finally reply, but no amount of hope could do a damn thing.

His phone remained inches away from his nose as often as possible when at work, causing his colleagues to crack jokes about him finally becoming more social. He couldn’t even spare them a polite laugh to go along with it. 

Berwald’s concern for Lukas grew bigger with each passing day. He was so contained yet so ready to blow up at any moment. Berwald could only do so much, but with their upcoming flight to Finland, he could do a hell of a lot more. Some might find it strange that he cared this much about something that had nothing to do with him, but Lukas had done enough for him— in his own special way— for Berwald to feel that he owed him. Their complex form of friendship was admittedly odd, but he could care less about that. 

When the day of their trip came, they brought very little with them. Whatever a simple backpack could hold was all they carried. Berwald took notice of how Lukas had even less than he did, and how he was almost prepared to bring nothing at all. 

“I don’t need anything...” Lukas muttered under his breath as he still accepted the bag being handed to him by his roommate. 

“We don’t know anything about this.” Berwald reminded him. “It’s important we bring something. We don’t know how long we’ll be gone for.”

Berwald was once again correct about something, and Lukas loathed how he wasn’t thinking properly. 

As fate would have it, their only option was to land in a nearby city and find another way to travel to their true destination. Lukas was only half listening to the woman behind the counter explain various problems like delays and malfunctions. Lukas’ irritation with everything only strengthened. 

Berwald, however, observed her closely as she explained the difficulties. Something about her seemed very off and uneasy. No matter what they said, she was very adamant and stood firmly in what she said. This didn’t look promising for the rest of their journey.

\---

“Why did your family move to a town centered around snow sports?” Berwald finally asked after their lengthy silence. 

Lukas recounted previous talks with them. At the same time, he became aware of the fact that he hadn’t spoken to his his parents in two and a half months. Emil had mentioned them in their own private conversations, of course, but why didn’t he ever mention them now? Did something happen them, and Emil just didn’t want to scare Lukas anymore than he already had? He tried forcing that line of thought away in order to respond to Berwald. 

“They didn’t actually. They never spoke of coming here.” There were so many gaps in the story of whatever was happening. The mystery ran much much deeper than Lukas expected. “My family moved to Rovaniemi.”

”Would it be a stretch to say that they maybe went to Sirkka for—?”

Lukas frowned. “For fun?”

It wasn’t a stretch really, but it wasn’t a satisfying reason for Emil’s sudden relocation. Lukas didn’t know what answer he wanted if that couldn’t do anything for him. 

Without being prodded about it, Lukas carried on. “Emil and I have talked to each other more than I’ve talked to my parents.”

“Hm.” Berwald grunted, letting Lukas know he was still listening. 

“He always just said they were fine.”

”Maybe he lied.”

Lukas stopped dead in his tracks in the snow, and Berwald knew he had poked a bad spot. “No. Emil would never lie about that. What motive would he even have to _lie about our parents_?”

Berwald found it best to keep any further thoughts on the matter to himself. He always had his bad moments when he started talking more. Plus, it was really a much better move to keep quiet until they found Emil or knew more on the situation. The Swede grunted once more and glanced at their surroundings. 

Upon finally reaching Sirkka after one mode of transportation after another, one might pay attention to how dark the city looked from a distance. The sun was still out, so it could be understandable for no lights to be on from where they were standing. It could be an easy and safe assumption. What was truly of even greater concern was the lack of life around them. There wasn’t a single person around the designated skiing areas. The only assumption to be made here was that perhaps, they weren’t open yet, but that felt like a load of bullshit. 

Lukas and Berwald carried on in their trek, both becoming a little more apprehensive of the eerie silence around them. The air carried a greater chill than the biting cold of the snow.  

Their walk past the slopes hit a dangerous discovery when Lukas spotted blotches of blood in the snow. He immediately came to a halt, gripping Berwald’s sleeve to get his attention. Only a few steps away from them were large spots of blood that lessened in size the closer they got to the thicket of trees. Lukas could only stare at the reddened mess in horror as he felt his own blood go cold. Considering the fact that Emil was supposedly in this same town, Lukas’ heart dropped and his stomach tied itself in sickly knots. 

Berwald’s jaw tightened, and he clenched his fists. He wasn’t allowed a single second to get a word in edgewise on the sight before them. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, Lukas darted off into the city and didn’t look back. Truthfully, it was a natural response, but it felt so strange coming from Lukas of all people. Left with not much else to do and certainly not wanting to have a nasty run in with whatever caused the blood splatter, Berwald ran after Lukas. He momentarily wondered if his travel partner could also tell the blood was fresh.

Due to Berwald’s height and long legs, it was incredibly easy to catch up with him, but he was always a couple of steps behind. “Lukas! We can’t just run around like this!”

Berwald’s advisory fell on deaf ears. Lukas was only looking straight forward with his face pulled into a tight and angry expression. He was overcome with a mix of fear and need to face anyone responsible for the bizarre happenings. He was so dead set on his goal that he didn’t notice he was about to run into the other Scandinavian man blocking his path. 

Lukas collided with his strong chest at full speed and was nearly knocked back by the force of it. Berwald managed to stand his ground as solid as a rock. “What was that about?”

”Remember what Emil told you?”

Emil had basically told him to act casual amidst the uncertainties and nagging worries. No, Lukas definitely wasn’t heeding his words, but could he really be blamed for acting a bit rash about everything. It wasn’t his fault, and he would calm down once he knew his baby brother was alive and well in this ominous ghost town. 

It was a painful and surreal situation. He despised every second of it. Lukas placed a gloved hand against his forehead and took in a deep breath. “Speaking the obvious again.”

No matter what street they turned down or building they peeked into, there was no one around. The rest of the town’s locations were cast in the same darkness. There were no safe assumptions or guesses that could answer anything going on anymore. People can’t just instantly disappear without a single trace outside of some spilled blood. The party of two clung close to buildings and remained weary of anything potentially jumping out at them. Lukas feared they were already too late and who ever was after his brother had already taken him into their clutches. 

Somewhere in a small cluster of shops, odd noises could be heard. The sounds were a combination of growls and panting that couldn’t possibly be coming from a human. They stopped, listening in to possibly sedit if they could find out the source. In the quiet of their surroundings, everything sounded much louder and closer. 

A trail of blood that started in the middle of the street led up to one of the smaller buildings. A wild animal being the cause was completely impossible and out of the question. The two let go of any potential leads when they heard pleas for help. 

“No one’s around here to help you so let go of that crap!” An unknown voice spoke over another’s need for assistance.

Berwald cautiously approached the source of the commotion and gestures for Lukas to do the same. Being the only other people around, it only seemed fair to investigate. 

Neither voice sounded anything like his brother, but either one of them could know his whereabouts. Lukas stayed to the corner of the building and peered around Berwald in an attempt to safely see what in the hell was going on. 

“We claimed this spot and yet you came here anyway. You know that kind of shit is against codes and fully worthy of a good beating.” The same voice from earlier chuckled darkly. “You asked for this.”

”Look, man! I-I’m just following orders!” 

Another voice spoke up, this time, it was someone who sounded much softer. “It’s been a while since we had a feeding like this.” 

Berwald safely concluded that all three voices were most probably male. Once that guess was situated, Berwald focused in on his wording. ...Feeding? 

Lukas was at a complete loss of what to make of anything going on. For the past few weeks, Lukas’ brain was going in and out of a haze that left him dizzy and unlike his usual self. He wanted answers immediately, but the direction those answers were headed in got worst and worst. 

“H-Hey... You two wouldn’t eat vampires would you?!” The man who sounded as though he were against the other two became instantly terrified. His voice cracked multiple times, indicating he was on the verge of tears. “You can’t just eat your own kind! What in the hell is fucking  _wrong_ with you two dumbasses?!”

The other two only laughed at his pain and misery. In the minds of the outsiders witnessing this, only one thing hectically swam through their minds. 

Vampires. 

 ** _Vampires_**.

Neither of them could form a single logical thought about that startling new information. Something like that was far too insane and unrealistic. There was absolutely no way it could be true. This had to be some sort of elaborate prank being played by someone with a sick, twisted mind. Vampires are the kind of stuff in horror movies and fairy tales. They don’t walk around in daylight and scare off townspeople and actually murder people in real life. That was the most ridiculous scenario they’d ever heard. 

“Food is food, eh?” The deeper voice asked a rhetorical question. The with amusement clear in his voice. 

“T-That’s cannibalism you sick fucks!!” The one in pain screamed. His voice trembled even more. “You have no shame or care! You’re just like everyone else said you are!”

”Pfft. Cry me a river, shorty.” 

Berwald and Lukas sprung out of their hiding spot the instant screaming rang through the air. Nothing could prepare them for the bloody sight in front of them. 

Nestled in the shade of the stores was a gruesome scene of two figures dressed in thick black clothing lined with fur that was just as dark in color. The tallest of the three was grasping the shirt collar of the man who had just been lying on the ground. A large gash ran from his right shoulder to his wrist and was so deep in some spots that Berwald could see bone. It looked like something with incredibly strength had torn right through his limb. All the blood splattered on the ground was obviously from his nasty wound and more was about to be added. 

The smallest of the three hissed at his victim, revealing a set of caninines that was sharper and longer than what Lukas assumed the average should be. Lukas watched him lick his lips in hunger before greedily sinking his jaws into the uncovered neck of their prey. All of the wind was knocked out of Lukas and Berwald’s lungs in a single go. The smart thing to do would be to run, but how does one move when fear alone has them chained to the earth?

The scene was far worst than seeing a literal train wreck and not being able to look away. Two pairs of blue eyes watched the snow and pavement run red as a chunk of flesh was ripped away from the struggling man. He dangled lifelessly in the hands of the smaller one’s accomplice. The other chose to rip a part of his shoulder out and reattached his mouth to the new wound, lapping up the blood like it was some precious life force. 

The two witnesses couldn’t even blink. Their minds went completely blank. Berwald held back the bile trying to make its way up his throat. Were these monstrous people responsible for all the weird things that had happened? 

“Fuck that guy. Tino, we’re in for hell if anyone finds out about this.” He completely pulled his mouth back and licked the remainder of the red liquid from around his mouth. 

The shorter one, supposedly named Tino, was in no emergency to pull away from his meal. “Why does that matter at this point?” He said between mouthfuls. “Everyone already knows we’re considered rogue.”

”Good point.” He let the body fall to the ground once his partner had his fill. “I—“

Tino was now facing Berwald and Lukas, urging his partner to do the same. Traumatized faces met shocked ones. Berwald tugged at the handle of Lukas’ bag, backing away with every step forward the murderers took towards them. When they were fully in the light, other details about their faces came into view. 

Their eyes were about as normal as anything else they had just done in the past several minutes. Their pupils were a pale purple and small while the irises were crimson at the top and blue at the bottom half. More animal-like teeth other than the fangs were revealed when they opened their mouths. Lukas looked at the mix of human and inhuman teeth, feeling lightheaded. 

Berwald stepped in front of Lukas, putting up a barrier between him, and the tall one coming even closer. He got close enough for the bill of his red baseball cap to almost touch Berwald. 

“Visitors.” He said in a breathy way. “Don’t need to hide the other one behind you. I’m not gonna do anything.”

”Mathias!” Tino went over to them and shot Mathias a cold glare. “We don’t to instigate anything.”

Sharp multicolored eyes turned to Tino. “We have to do something about this. Don’t you think?”

It was the perfect moment to bolt out of there, but the need to know what the fuck was happening was even greater. Lukas remained behind the taller, wider man, catching his breath when the simple act of breathing in and out felt like knives stabbing his lungs.

Tino appeared to be thinking for a minute. “We should.”

When Mathias turned back to give Berwald a sickening smile, the Swede was beginning to believe that he would meet the end right then and there. 

“Relax, big guy!” Mathias waved his hands defensively. “Won’t kill either of ya’.” 

They didn’t believe him for a hot second. 

Mathias thankfully took a few steps back. “Here’s what I will do instead since I’m so generous.”

Berwald already despised the other man. If murder wasn’t enough to make him hate a guy...

”This is an offer you can’t refuse.” Mathias began as he circled around them, stopping when he was in front of Lukas. “Because, trust me, you can’t refuse it. I’m not letting you go back from wherever you’re from after promising me you won’t tell a soul or some shit like that.”

Berwald and Tino ended up in quiet staring match. Where Mathias looked more built and had a defined jawline, Tino was more rounded and had wide, innocent eyes; as innocent as they could be with his atrocities, anyway. 

“No.” Mathias spoke in a harsher, more commanding tone, making Lukas make eye contact with him. A decision he quickly regretted and turned away again. “You two have seen too much, and you’ve walked in on our territory. Both grounds to kill you, too, by the way. Instead of that, you two will come back with us.”

 _No_. Lukas faced Mathias. He didn’t have time for this. “I’m not going with you and neither is he.”

Mathias seemed pretty surprise by his bold choice of words, given the way his thick eyebrows raised, but then he looked somewhat amused. “Like I said, you can’t refuse. If you do and put up a fight, that’s when you give me no choice but to kill. Do you want to end up like that sad bastard?”

Lukas was effectively silenced on that matter. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about my brother, Emil, would you?” 

Berwald looked at him from over his shoulder. “Lukas, don’t.”

They ignored him. Mathias tapped his index finger against his chin, revealing claw-like nails. “Hmm. Emil, you say? I’m familiar with that name.”

Lukas licked his wind chapped lips and suddenly cared a lot more about Mathias. “What do you know? If you’ve done anything to hurt him—“

”As if we’d do anything.” Mathias gestured around. “This place is completely empty. Has been for the past few days.”

” _What_...?” Lukas’ jaw dropped in disbelief. 

“Don’t get so sad on me so quick.” Mathias grinned. “I’ll be happy to tell you more of the situation and maybe lend you a hand or four.” He motioned towards Tino who had kept pretty quiet. 

“What do we have to do in return...?” Lukas asked in a voice that is was barely louder than the wind slicing through the air.

It was like they were begging for their lives in the most subtle way possible. Berwald shook his head. Surely, they’d wake up back in their flat to discover that everything had really been some horrific dream they somehow shared. 

Mathias approached him, leaving only a few centimeters of space between their feet. “You two will do as we say by becoming our servants.”

Tino pressed the palms of his hands together and looked at a random blotch of blood on the ground. Why was he acting like that? Berwald internally asked him. 

“You can’t opt out or ask for another punishment.” He reached out a hand to touch Lukas’ face but promptly had it smacked away. He didn’t look the slightest bit offended by the action. “You’ll help find us food, hide any bodies we create in the process, and do whatever other tasks we ask of you. Sound good?”

What was being requested— no, _demanded_ — of them was insanity. Lukas thought of putting up a fight and hopefully making a successful escape, but those dreams were dashed by the fact that Mathias could easily tear him apart using only his teeth as if he were made from melted better. Lukas and Berwald said nothing more. 

“Excellent!” Mathias happily exclaimed. “You’re new life starts right now.”

Berwald kept his fists that were ready to swing right into Mathias’ annoying face behind his back. “Tell us what you are first.”

Tino tilted his head to the side, and Mathias reclaimed his position in front of him. “Ain’t the answer obvious?”


	2. Chapter 2

Lukas and Berwald were beyond speechless at that point. There was really no denying of the obvious truth. There were no other explanations for... for  _everything_ they had just witnessed. Despite this, Lukas felt the overwhelming need to try to come up with something far more reasonable. The idea of his brother getting entangled with these beings made his stomach churn. He had just seen what they were capable of, and he couldn’t hold back the images of Emil being torn to shreds. He immediately bent over, gagging as his stomach threatened to empty itself all over the pavement and snow. 

Berwald was torn between checking on Lukas and continuing to stand guard in front of him. He didn’t want to give the two in front of them— specifically Mathias— any openings to do god knows what to them. The Swede glanced at the smaller man behind him to see that he was on wobbly legs and wiping his mouth. 

“Let me make sure I have your names straight before we take off.” Mathias crossed his arms over his chest. “Lukas annnnnd...?”

Berwald stared impassively at Mathias. He bit his tongue. “Berwald.”

”There we go!” The supposed vampire snapped his fingers. “Lukas and Berwald. Was gonna just call you big and scary, but that’s a lot better.”

Tino rolled his eyes and tutted. “We really need to return back to our cabin.”

Mathias sighed. “Damn. You’re right. Let’s take our new additions and get the the hell out of here.”

The sudden need to leave seemed a bit perplexing, but Berwald didn’t question it. He jumped when a hand harshly clutched his shoulder, the force of it going straight through his thick jacket. He turned his head to the side to see Mathias’ smiling face, happily ushering him along. 

“Don’t worry about Lukas. Tino will be extra careful with him.” 

Nothing in his voice sounded the slightest bit trustworthy. He would have been a fool to lean into an attempt of his at trying to be comforting so quickly. Berwald threw a look over his shoulder at his friend who was being aided in walking by Tino. 

Lukas couldn’t see straight, and it was like there were four Berwalds where there should only be one. Tino’s voice sounded incredibly off as well. It was distant and muted as if he were underwater even though the inhuman creature was right next to him. Their bare hands touching offered no heat. He felt like he was grabbing onto skin covered ice. 

“Just take your time.” Tino advised the other when Lukas nearly tripped. 

He felt so pathetic and useless. He swore to himself that the moment he managed to recover from the fear and shock, he’d make damn sure that these bastards knew not to mess with him. His truest feelings of detest lay with Mathias, however. Lukas tried focusing on the wide expanse of his back from his distance behind him. An irritating and painful throbbing started in the back of his head and around his eyes. Against his own wishes, his eyelids grew heavy and unfortunately, eventually closed. The last thing he saw was Mathias watching him as he continued walking forward. 

“You can carry him just fine, right?” Mathias checked in on Tino who now had Lukas completely relying on him to get anywhere at all.

Berwald didn’t like the lack of concern in his question, but what did he expect. 

“Yeah. We’ll both be fine.” Tino replied. 

Their walk through the city was just as silent and lifeless as before, and they were being taken prisoner by the causes of it all. Berwald was very familiar with the saying that the unknown was one of the most terrifying things in existence. Who knew what was beyond or what lurked in the dark, but Berwald felt all of that was a load of crap to him now. Something about knowing in this situation felt much worst. Knowing what monsters were in the darkness only brought on a whole new set of fears and worries and was no doubt the reason that Lukas had passed out. That, combined with exhaustion from little to no sleep and not eating much for several days. Everything must have rushed up and got him at once. He still placed a major chunk of blame on the men that were pulling them into another unknown.

After several turns around unlit stores and abandoned hotels, they arrived at a large, metallic blue van. Mathias strode toward the ominous vehicle that was alone in the middle of the street, still gripping Berwald's shoulder. When he got closer, Mathias released his grip in order to pull the back doors open and force Berwald inside. Seconds later, Tino placed Lukas inside as well, and the doors were shut without a word from either of their kidnappers. His attention immediately turned to the still but breathing form of his friend beside him. Lukas' face was paler than it had been for the past several days, and the dark bags under his eyes only looked more pronounced due to the stark contrast. Berwald carefully adjusted Lukas so that he'd be lying on his backpack as a pillow and watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, only stopping to send a dirty look to the front of the van when both the driver and passenger doors were opened. 

The back row of seats were far too high to really give him a good view of Mathias' face, but that changed when said man adjusted the rear-view mirror to meet his gaze. "We have a long ride ahead of us. I plan on making no stops or being stopped. As you can see, I didn't tie either of you up, so you better praise that fact and not give me any reason to regret my choice."

With that cold warning, Mathias started the van and pulled away. Berwald placed a protective arm over Lukas and turned to look out the back window. Sirkka soon disappeared, lost in the falling snow, and was replaced by fields of trees as far as the eye could see. They weren't just driving to a new city, they were driving away from their lives.

\---

Lukas twitched a few times and grimaced in his forced sleep. His left hand clenched and unclenched itself, grasping at one of the straps of his bag as his body gradually came back to its fully functioning state. Berwald let him take his time. A single bump in the road had different plans. Lukas swiftly rose up when they passed over it, causing him to hit his head against the back of the seats. Mathias uttered a lame apology in return. 

“Are you okay?” Berwald gently asked him. 

Lukas’ head twisted in every direction it could to observe his surroundings. He looked as though he had completely forgotten about the events that had transpired before they got into the van. His breathing was temporarily ragged and fast paced as well. Lukas was definitely not okay. 

“Where are we?” Lukas looked up at him before spotting the window behind Berwald. He got on his knees, moved closer to the window, and pressed his palms against the cold metal of the doors. 

Berwald kept his eyes on him, not wanting to look anywhere else. “We were forced into this van. You were out cold so... you wouldn’t even know it happened.”

Lukas stared out at the passing buildings and road signs all in Finnish. That’s right. They were in Finland. Even more importantly, they had been kidnapped. Lukas’ hands slowly fell from the doors to his sides. He dropped down to sit on his knees. A comforting hand was placed against his back. 

“How long have we been in this damn car for?” Lukas’ question was meant for Berwald, but Mathias intercepted it. 

“We’ve been driving for a little over an hour. We still have another hour to go so if you’d like to continue getting some beauty sleep, be my guest.” He informed them, looking at them through the mirror again. 

Berwald grabbed both of Lukas’ arms to stop him from climbing over the seats to attack their assailants. Lukas’ body was tense, and his eyes were darkened with a mixture of negative emotions. As much as he would have loved to let Lukas go, he knew it was a much better idea to stop him before anything could progress. 

“Stay calm and think of Emil.” Berwald whispered into his ear. Lukas could act in an incredibly alarming manner when struck with the need to outwardly express some strong feeling.

Another reminder of what was at stake. Lukas released his limbs from Berwald’s grasp. Mathias claimed to know something, but what if he was lying? That outcome seemed extremely likely. “You could be a kind enough  _host_ and tell us exactly where you’re taking us.” 

Mathias wasn’t so quick to respond, allowing Tino to inform the human instead. “Pello. It’s not our true location.”

”We actually live somewhere else, but that’s not important right now. We’ll explain more when we’re at our cabin.” Mathias furthered the explanation, choosing to be annoyingly vague. Both of them really.

The radio was turned on and pretty loudly at that, too. One of them flipped through various stations in search of something that wasn’t news while Berwald took the opportunity to make things more clear for Lukas. 

Speaking in his lowest voice possible, Berwald shared what he knew of city locations and geography. “It’s Sweden.”

Lukas gave him a quizzical expression. “What?”

Berwald eyed a random loose thread in his jeans. “Sweden. That’s where they live.”

”How did you figure that?”

”Pello is practically on the border between Sweden and Finland.” He wasn’t talking with the utmost confidence— not that that was anything new for him. “There’s no other reason for them to be headed there. Besides the... ya’ know, cabin.” 

Lukas turned the information over in his mind. That felt a bit trustworthy considering Berwald’s nationality. It seemed probable that he’d know something of the sort. Lukas settled on that, more than pleased to deal with at least one thing that made sense. 

\---

The final hour of driving consisted of Lukas and Berwald being as quiet as they normally were while Mathias and Tino spoke to each other in a language neither human had ever heard before. It contained a lot of unusual hissing combined with another assortment of animalistic noises. Neither of them could truly explain the sounds easily or even mimick them. They assumed their conversation was one of secret and potentially one about what they were really going to do with them; their new servants.

Lukas kept track of the time through his cellphone, hoping that the device would go unnoticed and not be taken away from him. They must have been pretty stupid to not even bother searching them for anything that could be useful in an escape plan. Lukas opened the message center and pulled up his texts with Emil. It was so useless to bother sending another message, but Lukas’ ability to reason appropriately was slowly waning and with that, he typed:

_Emil, we’ve been kidnapped to put it lightly. Where are you? I don’t want to be further away from you than I already am. And are you involved with vampires? How did this happen? I need you to answer me as soon as possible. Please._

“We’re finally here!” Mathias happily announced. His voice grating on Lukas’ nerves.

Lukas shoved his phone into his bag as quickly as possible and took in a deep breath. The van was parked, and the doors opened and closed immediately. 

“If he tries anything—“ Berwald began. 

“Don’t worry. I should be over my little episode from earlier.” Lukas assuaged his worries.

Berwald’s concern didn’t die down that easily. Even Lukas knew how he could be when it came to worrying over those he really came to care about. The two returned to being quiet when the back doors flew open to reveal Mathias standing there with a toothy grin, fangs poking his bottom lip. He stretched out a hand. 

“Don’t just stare at me like you’re scared stupid. I can’t be that terrifying.”

They were rushed inside by Mathias while Tino closed and locked the van. The cabin was something small and simple in design, and there were no other forms of housing anywhere in sight. The inside was nothing to write home about, but if they lived elsewhere, there’d be no reason to make the space feel like a cozy home. Cozy was far from the word Lukas would choose to describe its interior. 

They were tossed onto the long blue couch in the living room. Mathias and Tino stood before them with very different expressions. Something about the small and stout man was indescribable to Berwald. Their eyes locked again in a silent staring match until Mathias broke it off with his throat clearing. Lukas, meanwhile, had no intention of giving him his undivided attention. He chose to stare at a chair that was out on the porch behind the glass sliding doors. 

”Let's make sure we get the obvious out of the way first?” He paced in front of them. “If you haven’t decided on whether or not you believe it by now, we’re vampires.”

”Not as though any amount of disbelieving would change that fact to begin with.” Tino chimed in.

Lukas rolled his eyes.

“Exactly. As for being out in the day, sunlight won’t turn us into ash that easily. No matter what fairytales you’ve heard.” The unasked question received it’s answer. Strangely, Mathias spared them on the reason why they were capable of doing that. “On to our next matter, the rules.”

They’d be the biggest fools if they thought that there would be no limitations placed on them at the temporary location. They said nothing as the speech was continued. 

“You two are to stay your asses right within our sight.”

Lukas couldn’t contain his bitter sarcasm. “Even if we need to piss?”

Mathias’ face looked like he was amused but trying to hide it, and he was doing a terrible job. “Very funny, but I’m not into that.”

Lukas shook his head. The tense mood in the air returned.

”We’ll only be here in this dump for the night before heading back out on the road first thing in the morning. Same rule of not letting you go applies at our place, too.” Mathias sat on the coffee table. “Second, shit like crosses or garlic or whatever else you think will kill or weaken us isn’t allowed anywhere around here or the apartment. So, don’t even try me on that one. Third, you’ll be sharing a room together, and we’ll let you know what sort of schedule you’re on when we get that together.”

 _Schedule?_ Next thing Lukas knew, they’d be told their room was going to be on lock and chain, and there’ll be no windows. It sounded like the natural progression.

“I feel like I made your role in our lives pretty clear and what that means for you when we first met.” He noticed their far from pleased faces. “I’m not gonna ask ya’ to kill people for us left and right! But sometimes, those things do end up happening.”

Berwald and Lukas swallowed. Their breath caught in their throats at the haunting feeling his last statement gave them. 

Tino frowned disapprovingly at him. “We cant let you associate with just anyone around us as you please. Whatever mortal needs you have can be met by us if you tell us first.”

How in the world they ever thought they could do something like that was beyond them. Having to rely on them for basic needs on top of being basically caged by them also brought upon an anger that needed to be suppressed before it made itself known. 

“Oh yeah, and don’t think I’ve forgotten about Emil.” Mathias grinned smugly.

That got Lukas’ attention fast. Mathias propped his hands on his knees and leaned in closer to Lukas. Dark blue eyes stilled when met with the multicolored ones a few centimeters away from him. Looking directly into them was hypnotic. What could have possibly made them so alluring and hard to turn away from was a chilling mystery to him. Lukas' lips parted, throat and mouth suddenly dry.

"I'll tell you all about that when you're ready." Mathias pulled away, breaking the intense gaze they had built up. "Right now, you're far from ready."

Lukas wanted to jump up and demand he spill everything he knew or else blood would be spilled instead. Berwald spoke up, trying to keep any hint of desperation out of his voice. "Will you be letting us go when you do that?"

"Perhaps... Depends on what progress is made." Mathias rose up but was stopped by Lukas.

"Why didn't you kill us like you did that other guy?"

Mathias was stunned by the bluntness of his ask. Once he recovered from the surprise, Mathias only smirked. "What? Do you  _want_ me to kill you?"

Lukas narrowed his eyes, knowing full well he wasn't going to get a direct answer. He dropped the subject and pulled his bag into his lap, clutching it close and eyeing a spot on the floor. This was by far the strangest act of kindness— if one could call it that— he had ever received from a stranger. 

Mathias licked his lips. “Well, if we’re through with this, you two are staying right here in this room until morning.”

When night hours arrived and every window in the cabin was covered with heavy curtains that cast them in complete darkness, the two still sitting on the couch couldn't force themselves to sleep a wink. They had no idea where their captors had chosen to sleep; if they actually did sleep. Berwald's imagination conjured the image of both of them sitting somewhere in the dark, watching them with unblinking eyes. The thought was strong enough to make his skin crawl. He wrapped his arms around himself and shut his own eyes. It made no difference and was a futile attempt in shutting out his vivid imagery. Warm breath ghosted across the revealed skin on the back of his neck. Berwald held himself tighter, and a pair of hands grabbed his bare shoulders. A tongue darted out to taste the beads of sweat dripping down his jawline. Nails and teeth dragged themselves across his uncovered body, drawing red lines of blood. 

Berwald let go of himself at the same time he nearly jumped off the sofa and collided with the coffee table. Lukas tugged him by his sleeve. "What's all that about?!"

Berwald tried breathing evenly. His clothes were definitely still on. "I-I was dreaming I guess... but I wasn't sleeping... Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize for nothing wrong like an idiot." There was more he had to say, but without having any knowledge of where Mathias and Tino were at, he didn't dare speak out loud.

With no safety in talking, Lukas reached into his bag and pulled out his phone. The brightness was turned down after he entered the password and placed his hands around it to further block out any light. There were no new messages, nor had Emil seen his latest text. Lukas was in the process of sending his brother another update on their situation when he felt the presence of someone else besides Berwald near him. He cautiously turned to face a pair of multicolored orbs looking directly at him. The sudden sighting forced him to drop his phone. It hit the wooden floor and slid under the table. A small amount of light emitting from his screen hit the bottom half of the figure, revealing what could only resemble a dress or even nightgown. 

Berwald followed Lukas' line of sight but saw nothing. "What do you see now?"

Lukas bent down to get his phone and reveal the intruder, but when he shone the light behind the couch, there was nothing there. There were no footsteps to accompany the disappearance either. It was like no one had been there at all. He flashed the light in every direction, and only settled when he realized they were truly alone. 

"It was just my mind playing tricks on me probably." Lukas said, voice deflated. "This better not be the pattern the rest of the night goes by."

\---

Morning came with the brightness of the sun streaming in and heavy footsteps tracing back and forth across the cabin. Lukas was the first to wake up, not remembering when he had ever fallen asleep to begin with. He shook Berwald to wakefulness, and they were soon greeted by the last sight they would like to see in the morning. Mathias smiled in a way that could only make them queasy.

"Good morning, princesses! Now we don't have to carry you back in the van like sleeping rag dolls."

Berwald scowled at him. Then, something far more important than the overgrown bastard standing before them caught his attention. Walking from the kitchen to another room in the hallway was Tino who was wearing a very interesting article of clothing underneath his unzipped jacket from yesterday. The jacket obscured it from perfect view. It was made from a lacy, transparent fabric that glided across the floor with an air of grace. Berwald observed him until he was out of sight.

Mathias smirked at him. "Very attractive, huh?"

Berwald wasn't the least bit amused. "Th-that's not it."

Lukas gave Mathias a similar face but formed for different reasons. Who in the hell would ever feel that way towards their kidnappers?

"That reminds me. We have some really fun information to share with you, but I feel like you've had enough for now." Mathias and the word fun didn't go together. Furthermore, what was with his random merciful behavior and constantly holding off on letting them in on what was going on? "Before we head out, I need to apologize for something."

Was he going to apologize for everything they had done to them? For wasting their time? For what? 

When Tino was out of his previous garment and dressed in more appropriate attire, they were led back out into the cold and pushed into the van. 

"What were you going to apologize for?" Lukas reminded him of what he had said earlier.

" _This_."

Everything instantly went black. Mathias hadn’t even laid a hand on either of them, but, somehow, they felt an intense stabbing pain.

Tino lowered their bodies to the floor of the van and put the now empty syringes back inside a bag around his waist. “This is dirty. Why can’t we leave them awake?”

“You’re suddenly super interested in being civilized around a couple of humans, eh?” Mathias raised a thick brow at him.

“ _Mathias_.” Tino groaned.

“Just get in your seat, and I’ll do the same.” He closed the doors and walked around, leaving Tino to climb his way to the front.

“I think they bled a little.” Tino stared once Mathias was driving off. “I’m pretty sure they did.”

”As much as I’m actually interested in that, I... can’t right now.” Mathias sounded more like a sad child to Tino rather than a grown man exercising some decency and self restraint. 

“You’re interested in being civilized now?” Tino stuck out his tongue, teasing the other.

Mathias puffed out his cheeks a little, taking the childish image he had at the moment even further. “Shut it.” He whined.

\---

“What did you inject us with?” Lukas’ voice came through strained and full of malice. 

“It was something that came from our bodies. It’s like a sedative.” Mathias nonchalantly replied. “Gets pretty powerful sometimes.”

Lukas and Berwald had woken up several hours into their trip when they were somewhere on a busy highway. Their heads felt dizzy and something as simple as seeing straight proved difficult. Lukas felt heavy and sore all over even though he hadn’t been doing anything at all. 

“Look,” Mathias smiled a little, knowing they couldn’t see him, “knocking you out cold like that was the best decision. Kept you quiet and down for most of our little drive. It’s really a win-win for both of our groups. Plus, we had to do a little feeding for ourselves.”

If the feeding session they “unfortunately” missed out on was anything like the last one they accidentally witnessed, Berwald felt comfortable with having been unconscious, even if he didn’t make the request for it. Berwald’s train of thought switched tracks to Mathias telling them that they were injected with a naturally forming sedative. From their own bodies. As if he needed anymore reasons to be so incredibly put off by them. What else could they possibly do with that?

Almost like Lukas could read his mind, the latter had to ask. “Just what do you need that for?”

”It puts someone under so we can drink as much blood from them without any problems. It can also slow down the coagulation process.” Tino replied, voice low and oddly serious. 

All their talk of drinking blood caused memories from last night to resurface for Berwald. He lifted a hand to nervously rub at the back of his neck.  

“But really, it can be immensely helpful in not killing people!” Tino’s chipper tone came back.

So, they didn’t enjoy killing others? Mathias may have been making light allusions to that for a while now, but he made it far too hard to accurately tell. Lukas and Berwald filed the news under things that would be immensely helpful in case an escape plan properly formed.

”Tell us where you’re taking us now.” Lukas leaned over the backseats after sitting up on his knees. He gave the man driving one of his usual cold glares. 

Mathias smacked his lips. “Demanding, huh? Might as well tell you. You don’t even know what it is. Stockholm—“

Berwald cut in. “Everyone knows about Stockholm.”

Mathias huffed. “Let me finish! A sub-city in Stockholm for those like us. There.”

”Only we know of it for the most part. It’s underground, too. Deep underground.” Tino added, looking back at Lukas even though he was focused on Mathias. 

“You won’t be the only humans there, but you will be some of the only few.” Mathias turned the radio back on. “Maybe you can make friends or something.”

Their talk ended there. Berwald tried pulling up a mental map of a city quite familiar to him and made attempts at trying to figure out where a sub-city could be located. The real question was how could almost no one know it exists. 

For the millionth time in the past few weeks, Lukas took out his phone and went through the routine of going through his messages. With an idea of where they were headed, he felt it was important to relay it back to Emil. In the middle of typing up his message, however, Berwald had something to share with him. 

“Any chance your phone can track where we’re going? Like, make a map of our path?” 

“What about your phone?” Lukas continued typing. 

“Um... mine is a bit old for that.” Berwald said awkwardly. Not keeping up with the latest tech could be a hassle, but who would guess that having a better phone would be useful in times when one was kidnapped by a formerly believed to be mythical creature.

After a deep breath and a once-over to make sure his text was good, Lukas sent it. “It’s a good idea. I’ll give you that. Let’s get this shit over with.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, I really need to return to writing Preservation :’|  
> Beta reading done by Egyptiansapphiredragons~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a late update

Their ride consisted of the usual things one would expect to see on long, grueling car rides. Nothing but various road signs, other motorists, and several buildings advertised for weary travelers. Berwald had a few stray thoughts pass his mind, such as the main one that kept reappearing.

_Just keep banging on the window. Someone will see you._

But Berwald knew that was a terrible idea for multiple obvious reasons. He wasn’t even sure why his brain had thought of it in the first place. He cast his gaze back toward the phone on the floor in the middle of the two. The indicator on the map moved along whatever path Mathias was taking, leaving behind a thin red line from their starting point. 

Lukas was watching the device as well but for completely different reasons. After how long he’s been going without any reply or sign that Emil had read the messages, it might have been foolish to continue holding on to the idea that he eventually will. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, narrowing his eyes at the glowing screen.

Just when the map showed they were entering Stockholm, Mathias took an unexpected detour, leading them away from the flow of traffic. Lukas lost his balance and hit Berwald’s side while his phone slid across the floor and knocked against the other side of the van. There was no meaningless apology for his wreckless turn. Mathias continued driving but now going at a faster speed. Berwald attempted to look over the seats to get a better view of just what in the hell Mathias was doing, but it proved unsuccessful. He turned to the window behind him but saw nothing that could clue him in on their location.

Lukas snatched his phone and stared at the screen, deeply troubled by the sight. The map rapidly blinked in and out of view, zoomed in on random locations, and repeatedly closed itself only to reopen again. A simple bump couldn’t have caused such a disastrous malfunction. Lukas’ heart raced as he tried opening his messages. Another sharp turn sent him flying into Berwald again, but he kept his grip on the device tight and secure. He couldn’t afford to lose the only bit of connection to his little brother especially considering he still didn’t know just where the hell he was at. Panic took over all his senses while he furiously tapped at the screen and pressed every button. He was too desperate to win a losing battle.

Mathias wasn’t slowing down anytime soon, and the lack of sounds from other vehicles told Berwald they were a far distance from the highway. He couldn’t see any road signs from the window. There was only a dense population of trees on either side of them.

“What are you doing?!”

Their “smooth” ride drive turned rough and bumpy when the road went from asphalt to gravel, forcing Mathias to slow down. Berwald breathed out slowly, thankful for the fact that they were traveling a little bit safer, and he wasn’t feeling like he was driving a speed wagon straight into hell.

“It’s a bit necessary to do that, ya’ know!” Mathias shouted back. “Maybe…”

Mathias really didn’t want to set himself up as a likable person. Berwald turned away from the front of the van and looked at Lukas.

With his phone in hand, Lukas appeared to be almost at ease. It had stopped malfunctioning, but there was another issue at hand. Lukas zoomed out of the map to find that there was a thick, red line going in a crazy pattern across the the Swedish-Finnish border. Assuming Mathias had really driven like that didn’t sound like a far fetched thing to believe, but Lukas knew something else was wrong. Yet, he had no idea what.

“What is this bullshit…” He mumbled under his breath in disbelief of what was happening.

Any other sense of relief was further washed away when he returned to his texts. The frantic beating of his heart worsened when he decided to do something incredibly dangerous. Lukas was going to call Emil. He needed to. The potential punishments didn’t matter. His hand shook, raising his phone to his ear after tapping Emil’s name in his contacts, but it fell to the floor of the van just as quickly.

Emil’s number was no longer in service. The call couldn’t go through, and Lukas felt his hopes of getting in contact with his younger sibling fall flat alongside his forgotten phone. The device meant nothing to him if it couldn’t track their path or do something as important as giving him a way to reach Emil. He covered his face with both hands and went numb. Maybe, when they reached their destination, Lukas would be able to reach him. Surely the only reason why he couldn’t was because cell towers or some other stupid shit was creating a hassle for them. The blankness of his mind cleared up enough to allow him to cling to the tiniest fragments of hope.

Berwald sat closer to Lukas and rubbed his shoulders. With no prompting, Lukas suddenly spoke up. “That bastard better tell me where Emil is.”

Truly, Mathias didn’t know what hell was waiting for him if he failed to deliver. “Mm…”

Mathias and Tino were talking in an inhuman language once again. It didn’t sound as angry as it had before, but the hissing gave away some form of distaste. Berwald would give almost anything to find out just what in the world they were saying. The strange sounds abruptly ended and switched into a language they all understood. Lukas’ mind was too far gone to really focus on anything being said.

“It won’t be long until we make it there.” Mathias announced, taking a turn onto a worn down side road.

The trees around them went from being stretched over the road in a huddled mess of greenery as if they needed to hide it away, to a mess of dying, black branches that were akin to long fingers sprawling out above the vehicle. The change in scenery was nothing short of suspicious. Much like how Berwald would describe the two vampires in general.

“When we arrive, we have to stop and see a few people first.” Tino tacked on.

Mathias tapped the steering wheel. “Ugh. That’s true. Gotta relay some information and explain what’s up with you two. For that, I’ll definitely need to cuff your hands.”

“What?” Berwald looked at him from over his shoulder.

“It’s not for anything mean!” Tino quickly explained, but Berwald wasn’t buying it.

Mathias made a sound that suggested he was offended. Like he had any right to be offended by something— “Mean?! Us? Mean?”

“We aren’t usually like this—“

“Tino!”

“Things are just very complex—“

“ _Tino_!”

He didn’t prod for any answers on what the almost revealing exchange was for.

Mathias slowly breathed out. “We just can’t let two humans run around with zero control. It’s very important, okay?”

Berwald didn’t say a word. He turned away and back to Lukas. Silently, the bigger of the two wished they would arrive in whatever unknown was waiting for them. Every passing second was making him more anxious.

The empty road stretched on for way too long and had far too many bumps and winding turns. There was no point in looking out any of the windows for clues on their whereabouts with how dead and silent the surrounding area was. Even though Berwald was certain of that, he did see that the thickets of bare trees were waning and only left behind an empty field on both sides of the road. Then, they were cast in complete darkness with the only light ahead of them coming from the car’s headlights. It felt like the car was slowly inching downwards.

Lukas went rigid and grasped for the nearest item to keep him balanced. He had nearly failed to notice the outside changes and only hurriedly glanced around him when the sudden downward movement put him off balance. This was it wasn’t it? They had finally arrived? Lukas’ stomach felt just as ill as it had for the past several days. The constant sickness wasn’t doing him any favors while trying to live through his current predicament.

“Like I said, it wouldn’t be long until we arrived.” Lukas could hear the grin in Mathias’ voice.

“In a dark tunnel?” Lukas practically whispered.

Mathias snorted. “I know bats live in caves and stuff, but we live in a city with actual buildings.”

Lukas wasn’t intentionally making any comparisons, but it did seem partially amusing when he thought about it. Although, the novelty quickly wore off, and his weak stomach and anger reclaimed his thoughts.

The van continued its trail until it came to a stop. Berwald and Lukas picked up the distinct sounds of metal and chains clashing before the sound became ear piercingly loud. A headache was just about to form when the clatter and shaking ceased.

“You guys are finally back?” A deeply accented voice that held no origins from Northern Europe came to them from over a speaker.

“We ran into some trouble!” Tino called out.

The staticy voice became confused. “Trouble?”

“Ah! Shhh!” Mathias stopped him. “You’ve been really off kilter since we met them!”

“ _Them_?!” The voice sounded more frantic. “What is goin—“

“Chill out, French fry.” Mathias calmly quipped. “We’ll explain once we’re inside. You stopping us is only wasting time.”

 _French fry_ grumbled. “You’re one to tell others to chill out. Whatever, I expect you to stop by my place first.”

There was a beep from the speaker most likely set to end the transmission, and they went on with their journey into the underground city again. As they got farther away from what was likely an expansive metal gate, light began appearing from the other end of the tunnel. Berwald watched them slowly encroach on the light that was growing in its brightness, and the only thing that could come to mind at the sight was of all the metaphors and similes of “that bright light at the end of the tunnel” meaning one was heading towards death. He held Lukas against his bulkier frame as he contemplated how much that saying fit their current situation.

As if time finally stopped dragging on and increasing the length of the worst road trip they had ever experienced, the car made it to the exit ramp of the tunnel. Berwald and Lukas were greeted by the oddly well lit underground city where countless other vampires were likely being housed in the several stories high buildings. Nothing could have prepared them for the views of a very modern city located under many layers of earth. Mathias joined other cars on the smoothly paved road, and the two tried observing everything they could from the back of the van. There were other people walking about, stores that carried basic needs, and anything else that could make a bustling city look normal. Everything felt so impossible. How could anyone get away with creating this location, no matter how far away it might be from civilization? Then again, they had encountered a completely barren city only yesterday. A series of questions buzzed inside their heads, and a new observation came forth.

Even though there were well lit street lamps and several lit up signs, there was a strange light that wasn’t radiating from any of those sources. It bathed everything in it’s reach with a soft, blue-tinted hue. The scene wasn’t exactly the underground city cast in eternal darkness and encased in stone walls that they had subconsciously assumed it would be.

“This is Blodberg.” Tino started. “Where we’ve called home for the past few decades.”

Blodberg wasn’t the most creative name Berwald had heard for a city. It might as well be called “ _There’s Vampires Here Ville_.”

“Past few decades?” Berwald caught himself asking out loud.

“You don’t seem like the nosy type, but lemme tell ya’ this now so we don’t need to do a run down of our backgrounds later.” Mathias replied coolly. Berwald would largely prefer talking to Tino, but he settled with the more irritating one. “Unlike how you people think all vampires are from the eighteen hundreds , we are not. Nor, do we hump that era like there’s no tomorrow. As you can tell from us and the city itself, we do love to take advantage of technology.”

 _Where is he going with this incessant rambling?_  Lukas rolled his eyes.

“Tino and I are from the early twentieth century.” Somehow, that struck a chord of fear mixed with surprise in both Lukas and Berwald; likely due to not being able to instantly accept that vampires existed in the first place. There was no time to really think about something like that. “We were turned when we were in our early twenties.”

Berwald mentally collected these pieces of a potentially much larger puzzle while Lukas stared at a random tower in the distance, appearing as apathetic as he could manage. He would mull over the information their kidnappers decided to nonchalantly share with them later when it was relevant, and his mind was stable. Tino tried speaking twice, sounding very uneasy in the few syllables he did manage to get out, but stopped himself. Lukas guessed that it was unimportant.

“Hey, we’re here to see Francey-pants.” Mathias pulled up to an extravagant, four-story building. “You two back there, stay put.”

There was really no point in running away now. There would be nowhere to go in such a strangely developed city where they were sure to stick out amongst its citizens. With nothing left to do, Berwald and Lukas sat still, waiting for Mathias to come around to get them. Unexpectedly, Tino was the one to open the doors with rope in his hands. Mathias popped up behind him and took a piece of rope from his partner.

“I’ll get Lukas, and you can get the big guy.”

Tino nodded at the taller man and approached Berwald. He didn’t put up a fight, holding out his hands to Tino only to be told to turn around. Naturally, they’d want their hands literally tied behind their backs. This ino swiftly tied a knot around Berwald’s wrists but didn’t stop there. A line of knots traveled up his forearms until there was no more rope. After a quick test of its strength, Tino gave Berwald the command to get out of the van.

The same was mostly repeated with Lukas. Only, Mathias wanted to take his sweet time looking at Lukas’ wrists and hands, and he hadn’t actually tied them up yet. Lukas nearly spat at Mathias when he felt the uncontrollable desire to comment on the thinness of his body.

“You sure are small.” Mathias dodged a surprise fist from Lukas and wrapped his arms around the other’s midsection, successfully trapping his arms as well. “Look, go ahead Tino. I’ll be dealing with _him_.”

Tino nodded again and turned away, pulling Berwald alongside him. Lukas watched them disappear inside the building that had a large, dripping red cross on its entrance. Once they were out of sight, Lukas started fidgeting in the vampire’s grasp. He was unfairly strong which only served to piss Lukas off even more. There wasn’t even any real point in giving him a hard time, other than to vent some of his frustrations.

“Hey! Cut that out!” Mathias’ noisy mouth was dragging even more attention to them than Lukas fighting back. “Could’ve sworn I told you something about this kind of behavior?!”

Lukas gave one final, aimless attempt at escape before forcing himself to go limp. Being right up against the horrendous being was worse than scraping all of his skin off with a rusty knife. No amount of clothes acting as a flimsy barrier could make him feel comfortable in this position.

Once satisfied with Lukas’ stillness, Mathias spoke. “Are you done causing a scene?”

Civilians had stopped to stare at the two, and Lukas fixed each interested gaze with a cold glare. “Possibly.”

Mathias shook his head and smirked. He said nothing more as he secured his arms in a series of knots just like Tino had done with Berwald. Mathias tugged him inside after locking up his vehicle, fixing Lukas with a face that could mean almost anything. His lips pulled slightly downward, and his eyebrows were forming a crease between them.

“Mat dear, you finally decided to join us?” It was the same voice from over the speaker when they were crossing the gate.

A man with blond, wavy hair and some stubble across his jawline had greeted Mathias when they walked past what appeared to be a front desk. He was well dressed in a silky button up shirt with dark, fitted pants and an equally darkly colored vest. His physical abnormalities were just like Tino and Berwald’s. Freakishly off colored eyes landed on Lukas who turned to take note of the grandiose flowerpots in each corner of the lobby as a distraction for himself.

The scrutinizing stare of the mystery Frenchman was grating his nerves. “You’re the other human, aren’t you?”

Lukas didn’t care to reply.

“Hm. Just like the other one.” He smiled wryly. “Oh, I should introduce myself— regardless of how little you care right now. My name is Francis, and this is my blood bank.”

Blood bank? Lukas thought of blood banks back in human society that involved willing people giving away their own blood for others. In a place like this, he couldn’t imagine them collecting blood from consenting sources. Lukas continued idly staring around the room until he began to fear that they would get the idea to use Berwald and him as juice boxes for the rest of their kind.

“Aww,” Francis grinned in a way that caused his fangs to stick out over his bottom lip, “there’s no reason to look so scared. We won’t be using either of you for my business.”

Lukas tried taming his expression while Mathias oddly jumped to his defense. To make it all worst, Mathias pulled Lukas closer, but there was no feeling of safety that he found himself getting from Berwald. “Cut that shit out, Francis!”

Francis pulled back from his inspection of Lukas and gave Mathias a frown. “Oh, Tino has given me a small summary of things already. I’m not so sure you haven’t been anything but scary to your new… _servants_.”

“I’m not some terrifying wild animal, ya’ know.” Mathias placed his hands on his hips, sounding rather put off by the statement.

“Of course not.” Francis said in faux belief. “You should come up to my office with Tino. We need to discuss some things.”

“We sure do.” Mathias grabbed Lukas’ shoulder, forcing him to walk. “Thanks for not freaking out about our humans.”

 **_Our_ ** _humans_? Lukas ground his teeth together. That phrase would never cease to annoy him in how degrading it was. Not that he expected Mathias to care or even truly notice the implications.

Berwald sat on a couch against the wall of Francis’ office with Tino sitting next to him. Berwald didn’t feel as angry being in an enclosed space all alone with one of his kidnappers like he thought he would have. Tino wasn’t even saying much of anything or making an effort to be intimidating. This entire ordeal would likely be so much easier if the two would just pick one attitude to show them and stick with it.

The turmoil and confusion over them would potentially settle when Berwald and Lukas found the flow in their new lives. He jumped, causing the couch to move, and looked particularly startled by his own ideas. Getting used to god-knows-what that was planned for their daily lives for who-knows-how-long sounded impossible to him at the moment. That was nothing he wanted to find any comfort in.

Berwald remembered the vampire movies he had seen where the monster had the ability to control mortal thoughts and read their minds. He peered at Tino and speculated the possibility of them having those powers. When Tino returned his gaze, Berwald failed to look away in time.

“Is there something wrong?” Tino innocently inquired.

The heavy, bitter taste of a yes was on the tip of his tongue, but there was no chance for him to air his concerns to someone who could possibly give a damn about them. Mathias walked in with Lukas right behind him. Berwald shared a glance with Lukas. At the same time, he quickly looked him over to see if he had any signs of damage to his body.

“Well,” Francis filed in after them, "let’s get through this.”

After Lukas and Mathias were seated next to the other two, the vampires began filling in Francis on all of the events that took place so far. From what exactly happened in Sirkka to how they found and obtained their servants. Francis’ face was one of careful consideration throughout their explanation. Lukas’ least favorite part of the ordeal was how they had selectively skipped out on certain details. Especially those dealing with Emil.

“You two murdered another vampire and drank his blood…?” Francis didn’t sound as concerned about that as Lukas and Berwald had been when they had witnessed it.

“He was on our territory.” Tino reconfirmed. “You know how it is even if you don’t actually go on the front lines yourself.”

Francis pinched the bridge of his nose. “Rules are rules, yes, I know. Honestly, it is better to have one less vampire we’re at war with.”

" _Exactly_!" Mathias winked at him. “We gotta let the leaders know what’s going on, too, and I kind of want to get back home and relax. After breaking these two in, of course.”

“So, you showed me these two to brag?” He gestured at Lukas and Berwald with his index finger.

“No.” Tino shook his head. “You’re a close associate of ours, and you know a lot about humans."

Francis smiled softly and reached out to press a button on his desk. “I was only joking, darling. I’m very flattered you find me to be an expert on humans, but just because I have one living and working with me, that doesn’t automatically qualify me as an expert.”

"There's other qualifications. Like how you deal so closely in their blood. You weren't turned until three decades ago, too." Mathias added in.

"It's almost been thirty years." Francis corrected him, sitting back in his desk chair.

Lukas and Berwald’s heads were spinning. They weren’t clued in to anything being said. There was no offered background on the apparent war or what the rules of territory were. The conversation likely wouldn’t change much if they weren’t present to hear everything.

The mental puzzle in Berwald’s mind increased in scale, and Lukas gained new concerns. _War_. Emil could have been caught in the middle of warring vampires and pulled into the opposite side. He didn’t even know which side was considered the good one. In any case, it didn’t matter in the end because the side he was sucked into kidnapped humans and forced them to do their bidding. Certainly didn’t sound like the winners in his point of view.

There was a knock at the door, catching everyone’s attention. Francis called for the mysterious person to come in.

“You called me?” A deep voice belonging to an impressively sized man questioned Francis. He walked in and closed the door. Nothing about him looked inhuman, even though his hair was eerily similar to Mathias’.

“Berwald, Lukas, this is Levi. He’s my assistant in the blood bank and occasionally someone who donates.” Francis introduced his employee.

Levi twisted himself around, having initially not given the others in the room the time of day. He cast a glance of disinterest over the non-vampires that could only rival Lukas’ usual expression. Berwald was so well acquainted with such a face that he felt certain there was something else going on under the surface. When he was finished visually taking in the newcomers, Levi cleared his throat.

“Mathias, what the hell did you do this time?”

Mathias guffawed. “That’s no way to treat a good buddy of yours! Also, I’ve done nothing wrong. I have too many people to fill in as it is. Francis can tell you or you can join me tomorrow for a drink where I’ll give you my own personal take on it.”

Levi answered with a grunt of consideration, before acknowledging the guests once again.   
“Am I supposed to be the one to help out with them?”

“They called me an expert on humans.” Francis told him with a small chuckle.

For a split second, Lukas could have sworn there was the ghost of a smile forming, but it died down before he could be certain. “For your sakes, I would pray the council is okay with this new development in your lives.”

Tino groaned. “Don’t remind me of them, but I do hope the same.”

Mathias changed conversation gears in a hurry to leave. “ _Anyway,_ we should really get going.”

“In a hurry to probably get your ass handed to you?” Levi asked as Mathias rose to his feet, making Lukas do the same.

Mathias let out a strangled noise of frustration. “The council let me on that trip to Sirkka regardless of what things I’ve done to piss them off in the past. Clearly, I’m the winner regardless the outcome.”

“Uh-huh…” Francis wasn’t the least bit amused. “You’re welcome for opening the gate.”

Tino stood up as well which was a signal for Berwald to copy him. “Oh! Thanks for that!”

They left the blood bank with a promise to check in with him again the following day, and Berwald and Lukas found themselves staring at the back of the van. Tino opened it, and Berwald climbed in as best as he could with tied up hands and without a word. Before Lukas could get in as well, Mathias leaned down to whisper something into his ear.

“You won’t be giving me any more trouble for the rest of the day will you?”

Lukas’ skin crawled at the breath against his ear. Mathias’ fangs were far too close to his skin.

“I’m not making any promises.”

“Hmm…” Mathias pushed him into the van and closed the door, leaving their exchange at that.

Lukas’ phone was still on the floor. There was even less he could do with it so he decided to ignore the device with it’s taunting blank screen. Once the hum of the engine started, Lukas accidentally let his thoughts run wild with the info dump he was forced to sit through. Nothing made any sense, and it would likely stay like that for a long time. He wasn’t so sure that Mathias and Tino would really tell them everything in depth once they made it their home. Lukas thought it was best to not get his hopes up over something bound to not go the way he wanted— no, _needed_ it to. He held the sides of his throbbing head.

Anything at all could happen in the coming days. He had no idea when they’d be let free from the chains of a servitude that hadn’t even completely unfolded yet. From here on out, their future was looking a lot bleeker. There was a war between monsters, Emil was who the fuck knows where, and they were pulled into the mess by two vampires who may be involved with war efforts. Lukas recounted the major events over and over in his head until he could feel himself going numb all over again. At this rate, he would certainly pass out just as he did yesterday.

The inside of the car was unusually silent, much to Berwald’s liking. He had no plans to attempt any verbal communication with Lukas. There would be time to talk later when they were secluded in their own room. For once, Berwald was actually incredibly invested in using his voice, and now he had to wait for the tiniest bit of safety to be able to do it.

Mathias stopped the van in front of a building that towered over everything around it. It’s architectural design gave off a strong air of importance and arrogance that felt somewhat intimidating. It must’ve been the structure that held the council they kept mentioning. Just what exactly were their occupations if they were sent out on jobs by their leaders and in close contact with them? Lukas detested the idea of being forced to live with someone who had strong connections to some city council or whatever of theirs. There was no telling what their _leaders_ would force onto them. This time Lukas struggled to keep darker images at bay. Under any other circumstance, Lukas wouldn’t feel so weak and would have more control over himself.

“I’ll be back when they’re done talking my ears off.” Mathias got out of the car.

“Wait!” Tino shouted after him. “You’re going in there alone?!”

Mathias paused. “Pfft! You sound like you’re worried about me! I’ll be just fine!”

The door slammed shut, and Mathias was gone. Berwald and Lukas secretly hoped that maybe these council members of theirs would get so pissed off with Mathias that they would smite him on the spot, but luck hadn’t been on their side for the past few weeks. Barely any time at all had passed when Mathias was scrambling to get back into his van.

“Guess what!” He exclaimed eagerly. “They’re not even there right now! Something about an emergency elsewhere!”

“Huh…” Tino settled back into his seat.

“Honestly, I view this as a blessing that we’re allowed to go straight to the penthouse now, chill for the rest of the day, and go to our separate work tomorrow!” Mathias continued his cheerful shouting.

The van took off much faster as it’s driver sped through the now nearly empty streets. Berwald’s sturdy frame must have been Lukas’ favorite spot to keep himself steady. Lukas removed himself from the other man and cursed Mathias’ name under his breath. Even if lady luck wasn’t smiling down upon him, perhaps a blessing could be spared, and they would get in a car crash.

In little to no time, they were at the third and final building that day. This structure wasn’t nearly as haunting in it’s design or daunting in it’s height. Mathias turned into an alley and again into a basement under it. He wasted no time in parking, getting out, and flinging open the back doors to retrieve their potentially permanent “guests.” Tino followed him in a less hasty fashion.

“Are we going to be in charge of the same ones?” Tino questioned his partner, observing nothing in particular on Berwald.

“Don’t see why not.” Mathias was already reaching towards Lukas. “He’s tied up this time so he can’t cause any trouble.”

When Mathias’ hand squeezed Lukas’ arm, he felt the overwhelming need to shake him off. The inhuman bastard successfully pulled him forward as if Lukas was nothing more than a weightless item being dragged across the floor. He bumped into Mathias after exiting the trunk and was planted firmly on the ground. Mathias urged him forward, but in the dim light of the garage he discovered they were in, he couldn’t properly tell where they were headed.

“I can walk on my own.” Lukas bitterly told him.

There was no indication that Mathias had heard him or even cared. An elevator located on the other side of the garage dinged, opening itself before a button was even pressed. From behind them, Lukas heard Tino and Berwald catching up to them.

“Jeez, do you mind slowing down a bit?”

Mathias walked between two other cars in the same hurried pace. “Just walk a little faster.”

“Are you trying to get them to our place before anybody sees them?” Tino asked, now at Mathias’ side.

“What?!” The idiot’s overly loud voice bounced off the walls of the garage. “What makes you say that?”

“Oh, nothing.” Tino teasingly stuck his tongue out at Mathias.

They got onto the lift, and Tino selected the floor. With the rise of the elevator, Berwald and Lukas’ stomachs dropped. There was no amount of preparation that could leave them ready for walking into their kidnappers’ home. Last minute escape ideas flooded their brains no matter how much they tried battling them away with the reasoning they needed to stay put for Emil. Lukas was already weak from a lack of proper rest and not eating right for several days. The elevator ride was only making him worst.

Berwald watched Lukas from the corner of his eye. His main prerogative was ensuring that his close friend would make it out alright. Preferably with his mental health as intact as it can possibly be. Lukas would undoubtedly be flustered yet thankful if he knew what Berwald was thinking about.

On one hand, he knew full well that Lukas could handle himself once given proper time to sort out his stressed mind, but on the other hand, Berwald still believed he needed to protect Lukas. He hadn’t forgiven Mathias for what had happened before they went inside the blood bank, and had zero intentions of doing so anytime in the future. Fists tightened behind his back, and he inhaled deeply through his nose when the elevator doors slid open.

They were in a short, pristine hallway with black walls and wooden flooring. A few steps ahead of them was a set of white double doors that had a number plate beside them. Mathias dug into his pocket, retrieving his keys.

“We’ll untie you once we’re inside.” He said, putting the appropriate key in the lock.

The vampire opened the doors to reveal a foyer and another set of doors. Mathias and Tino removed their outerwear to be placed on a rack along one of the brick walls. The four walked by a mirror, and neither human could resist the urge to see if all of their reflections would show up. Any speculations that they would only see two hovering outfits were destroyed when Lukas remembered that they could see him through the rearview mirror of the van. That didn’t stop Lukas from keeping his eyes trained on it’s reflective surface… until Mathias glanced at him through it.

He opened the next set of doors. “We haven’t had any blood since this morning so I’m going to make this quick.”

After the foyer was an enormous living room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the rest of Blodberg. The room was decorated in only black, white, and gold- save for the few red accents. A grand chandelier hung from the high ceiling over two wide couches placed in the middle of the room. There was a spiral staircase behind them leading to another floor of the penthouse. Shelves and bookcases contained various, miscellaneous items that were of none of their concern. Lukas nearly gagged on a thick odor that smelled faintly of iron, but he couldn’t quite name what else was mixed with it. The room looked far too immaculate to possess such a strange smell.

They were guided to the couch and turned away from it. Mathias and Tino removed their bondage, untying each knot with expertise handwork. Their arms fell like dead weights to their sides. They ignored their limp limbs and dropped themselves onto the couch without needing any direction to.

"The rules at the cabin apply here.” Mathias made himself comfortable on a large cushion in front of them. “You can’t leave this place unless one of us is accompanying you. Don’t go digging around our stuff, and we won’t do the same to you. Francis and Levi will help us out with you if need be.”

They might have removed their physical restraints, but it felt like they were still there, and even stronger.

“Our jobs require us to mostly be away from here during what is usually nighttime hours above ground.” Tino sat next to Mathias, talking to them in a tone that wasn’t as reprimanding. “We aren’t going to make you come with us unless a good enough reason for that comes up. Really, you shouldn’t be involved in any of our work.”

_We shouldn’t be involved with your lives in general, but here we are_ . Lukas stared ahead blankly. Were they ever going to tell them what they worked in to be able to afford such lavish living conditions?

“Just stay in your room when we’re gone.” Mathias limply waved his hand in a motion to wave the subject away. “On to the next topic. Don’t interrupt us when we’re feeding-  _ again _ . You’ve already seen how nasty it can get, and we can get a little grumpy when we don’t indulge. On the matter of blood, don’t let it drip anywhere, and especially don’t just let it sit there for too long. It’s best for your own safety.”

Berwald began thinking of sharks, smelling blood in the water and rushing to the source. Vampires were far more dangerous than them, however, and dealing with a shark sounded much better to Berwald.

Tino placed his hands in his lap, playing with his fingers and looking down at the floor. “Get rid of anything you’ve bled on if it can’t be washed. Don’t want that lingering around either.”

“We’ll wake you up tomorrow and tell you whatever it is we need you to do.” Mathias stood up. “Your room is up here.”

Tino didn’t raise his face when Lukas and Berwald got up to follow Mathias upstairs. The second floor hallway was narrow but still wide enough to let them pass freely. Mathias didn’t bother showing any other rooms to the two trailing behind him or even turn back to make sure they were keeping up with him. He stopped at a white door on the left side of the hall and twisted the knob. Berwald walked in first, and Lukas staggered in behind him.

“There will be punishments if you break any of the rules. Some will be much more dangerous than others, but I don’t think I need to tell you which ones those are.” Mathias grabbed the door, voice returning to a more chipper tone. “Thanks for not giving me another reason to keep you tied up!”

And then, the door was closed. It took a bit for the current setting to settle in for them. Lukas stood still, glaring daggers at the door while Berwald instantly took to searching around the bedroom. The lights weren’t on, leaving him with whatever light was coming through the uncovered window. There were two beds, and the room itself was, oddly enough, considerably well sized for two people. It seemed their keepers had another peculiar moment of what could be kindness, or maybe it was all a lure to get them too comfortable for something else. 

Berwald flung open drawers and the closet to find all was empty. He opened a door adjacent to the beds to find that it led to something boarded up. Berwald ran a hand across the wooden planks, searching for any weak spots. When that came up with empty results too, he concluded the room to be harboring no obvious dangers.

“Lukas-”

“Let’s just end this day so we can move on to tomorrow.”

The snappy response made Berwald frown, concerned. “There’s nothing you need to tell me?”

Lukas was somewhat struck by the question. “N-no…”

“Mm…” Berwald wasn’t going to force anything out of him. It would be counterproductive.

Silence passed over them in which neither party moved. After what felt like forever, Lukas finally moved towards one of the beds. He didn’t lay down; only sat there, eyeing the dark gray carpet. Berwald moved to sit on the other bed, and they stayed in silence for hours. Lukas would need time to deal with everything they learned over the day, and there was still so much left unanswered. As much as Berwald wanted to discuss something for once, he also decided to stay quiet as it was what was best for them.

During some point in the stillness and lack of conversation, Lukas had fallen back against the bed and blacked out. He woke up with a heavy body that was sore all over, and an annoying need to use the restroom. Lukas tossed his outwear off, finding it was far too hot to keep wearing it. Sweat trickled down his skin and a drop of it landed in his eye, not helping his bleary vision. The creaking of his bed as he tried raising himself up alerted Berwald who was still conscious.

“Do you need help?”

They had taken the time to rid themselves of their shoes and other unnecessary articles of clothing before Berwald aided Lukas in standing up. Berwald turned the knob slowly, finding they didn’t lock them in, and stepped out into the corridor. All of the lights had been turned off except for a bright glow creeping from under a gap in one of the doors in the hallway. It was located at the end of the hall, two doors down from them.

“Didn’t have any nightmares did you?” Berwald asked as he felt around for any unlocked handles.

Lukas shook his head. “A nightmare would have been something much nicer to wake up to compared to needing to piss.”

Who would have guessed that his sarcastic joke would come true in some form.

Berwald opened a door near the front of the hallway and peeked in. “Found it. Do you-”

“No.” Lukas said, tone sharp.

Thankfully, the light from outside was enough for Lukas. Berwald let him in and gave him his privacy. Waiting for him to finish, Berwald’s eyes trailed back to the door at the end of the hall. His curiosity was pushing him forward bit by bit until he was only arm’s length away from it. From the other side, he could hear muffled noises and voices. The room surely belonged to Mathias and Tino as there was nobody else in the penthouse.

“What are you doing?” Lukas asked, startling Berwald.

Lukas was using the wall to balance himself, blinking his eyes slowly while his head kept nodding downwards. 

“You should go back to bed.” Berwald whispered.

“Like I can sleep perfectly normal right now.” Lukas refused. “Are you about to spy on them?”

Spying didn’t sound too bad. What if they were discussing tomorrow’s schedule? Or what their work entailed? Being one step ahead of the vampires was the only good suggestion their brain’s had given them all day. It was so simple, and yet… they risked getting caught and already suffering their first punishment. It shouldn’t be anything unbearable as long as they didn’t walk in on something important being discussed. Berwald weighed the pros and cons against each other, making Lukas lose what little patience he had that wasn’t eaten away by stress. Lukas reached out and carefully turned the cold metal of the knob. Berwald stood back, holding his breath.

The crack Lukas opened in the door was just enough to give them both space to hear and see what was happening inside; something that Lukas regretted when the scene dawned on his half-awake mind.

Tino was wearing a short, frilly nightgown that was transparent from the middle of his back down. No other layers of clothes were visible underneath. Not that he would even need more clothes with what he was doing to Mathias. There were loud moans and swears as Tino bounced on the lap of the other vampire who was completely nude. If Lukas could remove his eyeballs and suffer no consequences from it, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so. The room echoed with the creaking of the bed, their labored gasps, and the sound of skin slapping against skin. First, he had to see them devour another one of their own kind, and now he had to witness them fucking.

“Mathias…!” Tino bent down to share a very heated kiss with him, biting his lip in the process. All the while, he kept his hips rolling at whatever pace he could manage in the new position which was unfortunately far too revealing for Lukas and Berwald’s liking.

Mathias answered back with a deep growl that made Tino arch his back. Mathias took up the job of thrusting into the smaller vampire on top of him. He delivered a strong slap to Tino’s ass which earned him another moan, and a bite to the neck. “Hey! We shouldn’t be biting each other.”

Tino pulled back and sucked on Mathias’ neck. “Maybe you… ahh… shouldn’t s-slap others…!”

Their positions changed when Mathias pushed Tino onto his back. Just as he was about to insert himself inside Tino again, he froze up. Tino whined but was promptly shushed. Eyes blown wide with lust and need landed on the spying intruders. Berwald slammed the door with so much force, Lukas believed the hinges were broken.

There was no way he was going to be able to rest easy after that atrocity. He had seen far too much of Mathias’s body, and he wanted to vomit. The image would re-appear every time he blinked. He rushed back to their room as quickly as possible and threw himself onto his bed. Lukas didn’t want to contemplate possible torture for getting caught, and he didn’t want to look Mathias in the eyes ever again. He shoved his head under a pillow but tried listening for any signals that one of them was coming after them. Once Berwald was back with him, there was only silence. Absolute peace and quiet certainly beat the hell out of listening to them say dirty things to each other. Oh, god he wanted everything to end already. He wanted to apologize to Berwald for what they had seen.

Berwald didn’t think they were in a relationship. He didn’t know why he would think about something like that at all. He could only stare at the ceiling fan with wide open eyes, unable to fully comprehend everything. Something about Mathias’ eyes didn’t look the same. There was an unmistakable glow in them. The colors were all off. Whatever they were doing wasn’t anything like humans do. He may have been putting too much focus on his stranger than normal eyes, but there was no way he would focus on the rest of his body. He wished he didn’t have his glasses on.

Several minutes had passed and all Lukas could hear was his heart beating in his ears. He was so absorbed in his task of trying to wipe his memory clean that he failed to notice who had entered the room. Mathias stood in the space between their beds, wearing a wrinkled T-shirt and cotton pants. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he wasn’t looking towards either of them. Berwald prayed that if he ignored him for long enough, Mathias would get the memo and leave.

“I know neither of you are asleep!”

That was a firm no.

“I see I have to tell you something else about us. What we are, it isn’t _fully_ vampire.”


End file.
